SAN ANTONIO -- The University of the Incarnate Word volleyball team showed outstanding mental fortitude to come back from down seven points in the fourth set and secure a five set win, 3-2, over Houston Baptist Thursday night at the McDermott Center.
 
The win keeps UIW's postseason hopes alive and produces a "win and you're in" scenario for Saturday's match against Texas A&M – Corpus Christi.
 
NOTABLES

• Freshman outside hitter Bethany Clapp earned her seventh double-double of the season with a team-leading 19 kills and 15 digs.
• With those 19 kills, Clapp set her season total to 313, the most kills by a freshman since UIW joined DI.
• Sophomore outside hitter Julia Monday enjoyed an astoundingly clutch performance, hitting nine of her season-high 19 kills in the fifth set.
• She posted a .900 attack percentage in the final frame.
• Freshman middle blocker Carissa McGarity was a boisterous blocker all night, finishing with five, including two critical blocks with junior middle blocker Allison Waits in the fourth set.
• Waits also finished with five blocks, a career-high.
• Freshman setter Pilar Gonzaba was her usual self in the fourth and fifth sets, running the offense beautifully on her way to 43 assists.
• It was her third 40+ assists performance of the season and first since she set her career-high (54) against ACU (Sept. 29).
• Sophomore libero Madelynn Miller led the team with 25 digs. She was all over the court in the first set, where she earned nine of her 25 total digs.
• This was UIW's fourth win in a row and sixth in its last seven matches.

HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 (25-20): After HBU took a slim lead, the Cardinals started to find holes in the Husky defense to tie the score, 16-16. Then, four kills from Clapp spurred a 6-0 flurry to give UIW a commanding 21-16 advantage. The Cardinals managed that lead to a five point set win, establishing control of the match. The serving game was crucial, UIW made three aces on no service errors, while HBU had 1 ace on five service errors. The set was decided by five points. Clapp led the team with five kills.

SET 2 (18-25): Sensing the momentum beginning to slip away, the Huskies came out firing in the second frame. They established an early lead and never allowed the Cardinals to threaten it, eventually taking the set by seven. Clapp led the team once again with five kills.

SET 3 (17-25): The third set was tragically similar to the second. HBU claimed an 8-3 lead and maintained it to the finish, widening their margin to eight in the end. Clapp led the team with three kills, in a listless offensive effort. HBU dominated the net, forcing six blocks in the third, to easily take a 2-1 match lead.

SET 4 (25-22): Once more, HBU established an early lead, 11-4. But, with postseason hopes in toe, the Cardinals dug deep and responded with some of their best volleyball of the season. UIW gave momentum a reverse suplex by embarking on a 13-4 run and claiming its first lead since the second set, 17-14. Clapp delivered three kills, while Waits and McGarity teamed up for two blocks in the run. Slaughter found her offensive game late in the set, accounting for three of the final six kills. McGarity saved her offense for when it counted, earning her first kill of the match on the set clinching point. UIW, for the fourth time in its last five conference matches, was going to the fifth set.

SET 5 (15-12): Monday simply took over the match in the fifth. She had nine kills on 10 attacks (.900 attack percentage) to guide UIW to its seventh conference win of the season. HBU wouldn't go quietly. The Huskies forced five ties, including one as late as 10-10. But the unrelenting Monday could not be contained. She pounded home ball after ball from Gonzaba to significantly boost UIW's playoff hopes.
   

HEAR FROM COACH DABBS
"It was a great win! Our team fought hard and across the board everyone performed. Our team knows that we are fighting to stay alive to get into post season. Our goal all season was and still is to be playing our best volleyball in November."
 

UP NEXT
The Cardinals will host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday (12 p.m.). A win would secure UIW's first SLC tournament berth in program history. Saturday is also Senior Day at the McDermott Center. UIW volleyball will honor Maddie Slaughter for her contributions to the program.
 

FOLLOW ALONG
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